Fire Up the Hydrants

The wait is over! 20 fire hydrants in downtown Athens were transformed into functional, life-saving, creative pieces of art to help celebrate 80 years of drinking water delivery service from the JG Beacham Drinking Water Treatment Plant.

The water that flows from these hydrants is our best defense against house fires. Most of us don't think about how vital water is to our economy, health, environment, and fire safety. By putting a spotlight on the hydrants, we hope to draw attention to the value of water for years to come.

And the Winners Are:

Obviously, the winners are everyone in Athens. Our city has beautiful pieces of art in our downtown area thanks to the 20 artists who shared their talents with the community. Additionally, the hydrants are a reminder that Athens has reliable, clean water delivery for all of our needs, including for fighting fires.

As for the Favorite Hydrant Contest, almost 1,000 votes were tallied. The top three vote-grabbing hydrants and their artists are:

#1: Water Creatures of GA, by Katie Yost

#2: Water is a Bear Necessity, by Will Eskridge

#3: CEE Blue, by Jennifer Zwirn

See the Hydrants, Take the H2.0 Water Walk

The selected hydrants form a 2-mile route when walked in a specific order. View the map online or print a map to guide you along the H2.0 Water Walk. As you travel, take a moment to think about how essential water is to everything we do. We depend on water to grow our food, keep businesses open, clean our homes, and put out fires.

Feeling energetic? Walk the route twice! In doing so, you have covered 4-miles. This is the average distance people in developing countries walk every day to gather their water for daily use.